A Palestinian farmer tries to extinguish fire at his field in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on October 19, 2010, after a group of Israeli settlers set fire to the agricultural land. [MaanImages/Luay Sababa]

Onlookers said residents of the Revava settlement chopped down trees using a chainsaw in Qarawat Bani Hassan village near Deir Istiya.

The village mayor said the field belonged to Daoud Yousef Harb, a resident of Deir Isitya.

Farmer Harb Rayan, who worked on the land, told Ma'an that over 500 trees were uprooted and the 23-acre field was completely destroyed.

Rayan blamed settlers from the nearby Revava settlement, noting that tire tracks from settler jeeps were left in the dirt.

1 ) Mel / USA

19/09/2011 17:15

Israel's worst enemy.Historically,in Filastin,those who later became Christians,Muslims&Jews sat together,ate/enjoyed those fruits & crops,as mutual neighbors friends.Even after monotheism,& Empires mandated,the same peoples shared the blooming garden of Palestine,& sent its products abroad.Then Euro-Ashkenazism came &..."The Zionist adventure has been an utter failure.True,the desert bloomed but in its stead intoxicated wilderness covered the land": Palestinian exile Anton Shammas:Sept 1993.

2 ) Avril WEooster / UK

19/09/2011 17:47

Hopefully soon these settlers will be the ones to be uprooted!

3 ) MOHAMED / SOMALIA

19/09/2011 18:36

LA;NAKUM LA,NATULLAH YA SETTLERS

4 ) Ahmed / Here

19/09/2011 19:05

Settlers have a big problem with olive trees.

5 ) Monte Haun / USA

19/09/2011 21:18

Destroying an Olive Tree is a sin in their own Jew Bible. But I guess those dumba__ed Brooklyn Creeps wouldn't know that.
Monte Haun [email protected]

6 ) Mel / USA

19/09/2011 22:53

#4 Ahmed: Fear not! It's the Olive trees which have a problem with pesky illegal settlers.But the legal Olive trees roots are deeper than Zionism.They were there thousands of years before Zionism invaded from Europe,& the Olive roots will survive & grow, long after Zionism has left Palestine&gone back to Europe.US,Russia etc. The Olive trees are stronger than the "intoxicated wilderness" of temporary squatter political/ideological Zionism.

7 ) Colin Wright / USA

19/09/2011 23:22

I wonder what is with settlers?
Are these people completely normal? Who is drawn to become a settler and why? I know what they CLAIM -- but why do they really do it? Is it getting to be the bully they used to fear? What?

8 ) Yehuda Solomon / Israel

19/09/2011 23:24

Assuming this was an unprovoked invasion of land and destruction of Palestinians' trees, these settlers must be arrested, prosecuted and punished. It's immaterial if it's 1 or 500 trees. Had I been there, I would have done whatever I could have to have prevented this heinous crime: Called the Israelite or Palestinian security forces or anything to have STOPPED this. If there was no justification for this would I have even shot at our own settlers ? It's sickening for me to say (continued)

9 ) Colin Wright / USA

19/09/2011 23:27

Something really morbid in seeing people working so energetically to promote desertification in what is a dry land to begin with.
These people have all the good points of skin cancer.

10 ) Yehuda Solomon / Israel

19/09/2011 23:32

this but yes, I would. Daoud Yousef Harb must be fully and completely compensated TWICE in money for the financial loss of his trees. Additionally, he must have his field returned and be given full and complete physical restoration of replacing or replanting of all trees.

11 ) Niva dos Santos / Brazil

20/09/2011 08:43

These sick zions bastards must pay HARD for these crimes!

12 ) Hilde / Palestine

20/09/2011 09:31

Despicable people.

13 ) daniel / finland

20/09/2011 10:03

well, isn't this some quality reporting. "witnesses" and "onlookers" said this and that. where is your photographer? no inquiries from the settlement, which is required for quality reporting and even-handedness? come on...

14 ) Maureen / Australia

20/09/2011 21:16

13 daniel/finland Rabbis For Human Rights have witnessed the destruction of Palestinian olive trees by Zionist settlers. I suggest you read, "Rabbis For Human Rights " BTW, shouldn't you be protesting against Finland's military weapons deal with Israel?

15 ) BEN JABO / ISRAE

21/09/2011 02:22

14 ) Maureen / Australia

Everyone claims they observe, this that or the other thingAll Maureen does is talk about what others do, while refusing to anything herself

Maureen if you had gathered the gumption to leave home as you promised years ago, you too could have observedAs of now, you're just a parasite depending on the works of others for your inane comments

16 ) BEN JABO 2ND TRY / ISRAEL

21/09/2011 02:24

All of those witnesses and not a single camera between them, that doesn't seem at all plausible

17 ) Maureen / Australia

25/09/2011 05:19

15) Ben Jabo, I suggest you also learn of the humanitarian works done by Rabbis for Human Rights... have the gumption to be a real Jew, Ben.

18 ) ben / Germany

25/09/2011 23:26

What a ridiculous claim.
Do you know how difficult it is to uproot a tree?
Uprooting 500 (!!!) trees in one morning is totally impractical, even with a large group of people.
The only way is could be remotely feasible would be with LOTS AND LOTS of heavy machinery involved, but even then, 500 in one morning seems very unbelievable.
Also, Palestinians would have *definitely* heard and seen all this heavy machinery from far away, and would have taken photographs rather than making bogus claims

Name

Country

Comment

Characters

Note: Comments will be reviewed for appropriate content. Click here for more details.